A Derbyshire civil engineering firm has been fined £75,000 after one of its employees was killed when he was crushed by plant machinery.

Darren Richardson, 42, was crushed to death while working on a site in December, 2014, when an excavator backed towards a dumper truck.

In a case brought by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Mr Richardson’s employer, RMB Contractors, which is based in Ripley Road, Ambergate, pleaded guilty to breaching a section of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

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Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Medani Close said: “Back-to-back plant activities should be avoided as both pedestrians and vehicles could be put at a higher risk of coming into contact with each other.

“If the two separate work activities cannot be avoided then the area should be safeguarded and effectively managed with segregation in place, for example using fencing or barriers to delineate the ‘no go’ areas for pedestrians.”

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